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Louisiana oil spill

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This image from a video released by BP shows oil spewing from a yellowish, broken pipe 5,000 feet below the surface. The oil looks like steam rushing from a geyser. The video released May 12 gives a not-yet-seen glimpse of the leaking well a mile underwater. The stream occasionally can be seen becoming lighter as natural gas mixes into the gusher. BP/AP

A Coast Guard plane flies over the Development Driller III oil drilling platform, which is drilling a relief well at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana on May 12. Charlie Riedel/AP

From left, Transocean Limited President and CEO Steven Newman, BP America President and Chairman Lamar McKay, Global Business Lines President and Halliburton's Chief Health, Safety, and Environmental Officer Timothy Probert, and Cameron President and CEO Jack Moore are sworn in before they testify during a House subcommittee hearing on the Gulf Coast oil spill on May 12 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Carolyn Kaster/AP

Tony Wiygul swings Alex Holbert, 5, while spending time on the beach in Long Beach, Miss., on May 12. Fishing and tourism throughout the Gulf Coast are threatened by the oil spill. Sean Gardner/Reuters

Risers, the outer casings of oil drill pipes, are seen on the deck of the service vessel Joe Griffin as it prepares to head to Port Fouchon at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana on May 11. Gerald Herbert/Reuters

A small pollution containment chamber, known as the 'top hat', is seen being lowered into the Gulf of Mexico in Port Fourchon, La. BP announced May 12 that the top hat was on the sea floor near the well that has spewed at least 4 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Kelley/Deepwater Horizon Unified Command/AP

Vessels involved in the containment effort are seen at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana on May 11. Gerald Herbert/AP

Demonstrators stand with a 50-foot banner in front of the White House on May 11, in Washington. The banner was signed by Gulf residents and marched from the Department of Interior to the White House. The banner is to protest drilling of fossil fuels and reads 'Obama: this is your crude awakening.' Carolyn Kaster/AP

Oil is seen in the water from the bridge of the boat Joe Griffin at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana on May 11. Gerald Herbert/AP

Members of the Louisiana National Guard watch a Blackhawk helicopter lift off after attaching a sandbag to its belly in Port Fourchon, La., on May 11. Helicopters are dropping sandbags at the mouths of marshes along Port Fourchon and nearby Grand Isle to keep oil from being carried inland with tides. Patrick Semansky/AP

Service vessel Joe Griffin crew members uncouple a fuel hose after servicing the Development Driller III, in the background, which is drilling the relief well at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on May 11. Gerald Herbert/AP

Oil is seen in the water from the bridge of the boat Joe Griffin at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on May 11. Gerald Herbert/AP

The Development Driller III, which is drilling the relief well, is seen at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the on May 11. Gerald Herbert/AP

A Blackhawk helicopter prepares to drop sandbags in their efforts to dam off part of the marsh on Elmer's Island in Grand Isle, La., on May 10. Alex Brandon/AP

Workers place absorbent booms on the beach in Grand Isle, La. to guard against the oil coming ashore on May 10. Alex Brandon/AP

Charlie Pelizza and Sharon Taylor of The US Fish and Wildlife Service release a black gannet into the wild that was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico at the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge on May 10. Rick Silva/AP

Oil, scooped up with a bucket from the Gulf of Mexico off the side of the supply vessel Joe Griffin is seen in the hands of an AP reporter on May 10. Gerald Herbert/AP

An oil soaked bird struggles against the side of the HOS Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Gerald Herbert/AP

Black waves of oil and brown whitecaps are seen off the side of the supply vessel Joe Griffin at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill containment efforts on May 9. Gerald Herbert/AP

An item believed to be a tar ball is seen on the west end of Dauphin Island, Ala. Tar balls reportedly washed up on the shore Saturday, triggering cleanup efforts on the island. G.M. Andrews/Press-Register/AP

Oil is seen from an aerial view at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the coast of Mobile, Ala. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael B. Watkins/US Navy/AP

Michael Domingo Labat, 3, his 2-year-old brother Trey and friend Jason Melerine play while their mothers wait in a food and gift card distribution line at the Breton Sound Marina in Hopedale, La., on May 5. The boys are all children of commercial fishermen who are currently unemployed and don't know when they will be able to return to work. Vicki Smith/AP

A shrimp boat collects oil with booms in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La. Eric Gay/AP

A man cleans a beach May 4 in Biloxi, Miss., as the gulf coast is still being threatened by an oil spill from the BP Deepwater Horizon platform disaster. Stan Honda/AFP/Newscom

A long ribbon of rust-colored oil stretches into the distance off the waters near the Chandeleur Islands on the coast of Louisiana on Monday. William Colgin/Sun Herald/AP

A broken oil boom rests on the beach on the west side of Bay St. Louis, Miss., on May 3. High winds and rough seas have damaged many of the lines of defense that have been put in place to contain a growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Edmund D. Fountain/St. Petersburg Times/PSG/Newscom

Hosea Wilson loads shrimp from their catch into a basket on Monday, at the Venice Marina in Venice, La. NOAA has restricted commercial and recreational fishing in oil-affected portions of the Gulf of Mexico. Their boat has been recruited to aid with the oil spill cleanup efforts. Eric Gay/AP

Prisoners from the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center line up as they prepare to undertake a training exercise to learn how to cleanse oil from birds affected by the oil slick from the BP Deepwater Horizon platform disaster in New Orleans. Mark Ralston/AFP/Newscom

Workers prepare hundreds of oil booms at the Pensacola Naval Air Station Monday, to be deployed along the Gulf Coast. The US Coast Guard Buoy Tender Oak will sail from Pensacola on Tuesday to begin oil skimming operations, weather permitting, according to Commander Mike Glander. Scott Keeler/St. Petersburg Times/PSG/Newscom

A line of booms have been set up on the southwest side of Ship Island as a barrier from the oncoming oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday. William Colgin/Sun Herald/AP

Randy Lanctot, director of Louisiana Wildlife Federation, walks past oil booms at the coast of South Pass, La., where oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead continues to spread in the Gulf of Mexico, on May 2. A huge, wind-driven oil slick bore down on the US Gulf coast on Sunday, threatening an environmental catastrophe. The Obama administration heaped pressure on BP to halt the uncontrolled spill from the sunken oil rig. Carlos Barria/Reuters

President Obama talks with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (r.) who greeted him upon his arrival at Louis Armstrong International New Orleans Airport en route to the Gulf Coast region to observe first-hand the damage caused by the BP oil well spill. Charles Dharapak/AP

Out of work fisherman hired by BP lay out oil booms from a crew boat to try to contain the oil spill from the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Gerald Herbert/AP

Rob Canty works on his shrimp boat in Venice, La., on May 2. US officials closed commercial and recreational fishing in a large swath of federal waters affected by the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Sunday. Joe Mitchell/Reuters

Chuc Nguyen carries his daughter Isabel as he walks next to shrimp boats belonging to their family business in Venice, La., on May 2. Carlos Barria/Reuters

Fishermen reattach an oil boom that broke free from marshland due to strong currents and high wind. Fishermen deployed oil booms in the Gulf of Mexico in a desperate attempt to stop a massive oil spill from contaminating the marshes along the Louisiana coastline. Edmund D. Fountain/St. Petersburg Times/AP

Shrimp boats are seen docked at a marina in Venice, La., on May 2 after US officials closed commercial and recreational fishing for a minimum of 10 days in federal waters affected by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Carlos Barria/Reuters

Out of work fisherman hired by BP attempt to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Gerald Herbert/AP

President Obama talks with US Coast Guard commandant Adm. Thad Allen, who is serving as the National Incident Commander (2nd. r.) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal aboard Marine One as they fly along the Louisiana coastline on May 2. Pete Souza/The White House/AP

John Rotonti of Felix's Seafood Restaurant poses with fresh Louisiana oysters in front of his restaurant in New Orleans on May 2. Rontonti says that 60 percent of his oysters come from the east side of the Mississippi where the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead is moving. Sean Gardner/Greenpeace/AP

Lorne LeBouef of Violet, La., cuts a section of an oil boom after dragging it with the boat on May 1. Edmund D. Fountain/St. Petersburg Times/AP

A local fisherman waits outside a BP office to apply for a contract to work on the cleanup operations from the sunken oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Carlos Barria/Reuters

Seagulls and other birds fly past oil booms on May 1 near Venice, La. Eric Gay/AP

Dr. Andrew Whitehead, a professor at Louisiana State University, and LSU student David Roberts gather samples of minnows to study at Clermont Harbor in Hancock County, Miss., on May 1. The samples we be used as a base line to measure the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on the coastal environment once it reaches shore. Pat Sullivan/Sun Herald/AP

Weather forecasts said deteriorating weather and rough seas would hamper cleanup crews over the weekend as they tried to lay out more floating booms to deal with the spreading oil spill in the Gulf. Seen here are oil booms as they reach the coast of South Pass, La., on May 1. Carlos Barria/Reuters

Oil booms are seen near the coast of South Pass, south of Venice, La., where oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead continues to spread in the Gulf of Mexico on May 1. Carlos Barria/Reuters

Charter and commercial fishermen listen to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco, (not shown), in Venice, La., on April 30. Local fishermen are worried about how their industry will withstand a growing oil spill that resulted from last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana. Patrick Semansky/AP

The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico can be seen in this photo provided by NASA on April 29. Oil from the massive spill started to ooze ashore, threatening migratory birds, nesting pelicans, river otters, and mink along Louisiana's fragile islands and barrier marshes. NASA/AP

An oil-covered Northern Gannet is seen in a pen at a facility in Fort Jackson, La., on April 30. The bird is normally white when full grown. Alex Brandon/AP

Dr. Erica Miller (l.) and Danene Birtell with Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research help a Northern Gannet covered in oil on April 30 in Fort Jackson, La. Alex Brandon/AP

An aerial view of the Gulf of Mexico south of Louisiana where oil is leaking from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead. The massive oil spill continues to grow as the government grows concerned that the rig's operator is ill-equipped to contain it. Officials are offering a military response to try to avert a massive environmental disaster along the ecologically fragile US coastline. Greenpeace/AP

Cleanup vessels work in the area of an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico on April 26 in this image provided by DigitalGlobe. DigitalGlobe/AP

Oil is seen in the water near the site of last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig on April 28. Gerald Herbert/AP

Crews work to contain the spreading oil spill on April 28. Greenpeace/AP

A worker on the oil skimmer Louisiana Responder looks over oil booms as they collect oil from the leaking pipeline on April 27 near the site of the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Patrick Semansky/AP

The Louisiana oil spill can be seen from space as shown in this image provided by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on the Aqua satellite. NASA/AP

Weathered oil is seen in the wake of a crew boat as it sails over the site of a leaking oil pipeline off Louisiana. Patrick Semansky/AP

A boat and crew work in the area where oil is leaking from a pipeline at the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig off Louisiana on April 26. Gerald Herbert/AP

On April 29, workers load oil booms onto a crew boat to assist in the containment of oil from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Patrick Semansky/AP

This satellite photo taken and provided by DigitalGlobe, cleanup vessels work to contain the oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf off Mexico on April 26. DigitalGlobe/AP